#*years later* I always planned for Ichigo and Rukia's kids to meet as the last chapter | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hashtagartistlife · 3 years

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IR hunger games AU

pt 4/???

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4

bonus comics under the cut + some more exposition

bonus cut 1:

bonus cut 2:

Recap of the story so far: yuzu gets picked as tribute for the hunger games. Ichigo manages to volunteer in her place. Rukia gets drawn to replace yuzu, and ichiruki end up being the tributes for district 12.

Ichiruki then meet urahara, their mentor, on the train to the capitol. On this train they may or may not have a conversation regarding the fact that Rukia saved Ichigo’s life as kids, and that they have consequently been dancing around each other for years now. I reserve the right to add more to this section later. Either way, they are awkward at best and frosty at worst as they enter the capitol.

At the capitol, they meet their stylists, uryuu and orihime. They are new stylists, who only graduated last year. This is their first official stylist job. This in itself is not that surprising, as district 12 was unpopular and often stuck with the inexperienced or not-quite-so-talented stylists. However, though uryuu and orihime are inexperienced, they are the furthest thing from untalented or unpopular - since they had been students, they have been somewhat of a rising star in the styling community. So, everyone is surprised when they both (separately) apply for the district 12 styling job, because they really could have had their pick.

Ishihime were both born and raised in the capitol, but their childhoods were far from the lavish, glamorous lifestyle commonly associated with capitol citizens. If the capitol had a caste system (which they do — it’s just unspoken, is all), they would be on the bottom rung — orihime grew up under her brother in as close to poverty as what you can get in the capitol, dreaming of the glitz and glamour of the upper crust life. Ryuuken, meanwhile, is very rich, but for whatever reasons uryuu ran away from home young and has been surviving on his own since. The fact that they both clawed their way up the ranks to become hunger game stylists out of pure talent and tenacity was a novelty for everyone, and contributed to their rising stardom.

Ishihime hadn’t met prior to their appointment as district 12 stylists, but they HAD heard of the other— it was a pleasant surprise to both of them that the other had also applied for the job. Though they only meet on the job, they click instantly and develop an easy working partnership to create a sensation with ichigo and rukia’s opening ceremony outfits. The outfits had a fire + ice theme, based on the fact that district 12 was a mining district (coal > fire, diamonds > ice).

Orihime applied to the district 12 job because of Ichigo— she saw him volunteering for his sister on TV and maybe fell a little bit in love with him, with the idea of him— how romantic, how heroic of him, how noble to be able to volunteer for his sister like that— the same age as her, and so handsome, too, she wants to be by his side, she wants to help him, she wants to make sure he looks his best at the games so that he can maximise his chances of returning to his sister… as stated previously Orihime grew up entrenched in the capitol mindset so she is not yet aware of how fucked up the whole system is. Uryuu, meanwhile, nobody is particularly sure why he applied for the job… he said something trite about wanting to use his skills where it’s most needed, how he likes a challenge, but orihime wonders if that’s really all there is to it— outwardly, he’s the picture perfect new graduate, enthusiastic, happy, proud of his job— but there are moments when they are being applauded for their latest creations when she thinks his expression goes a little sour… it’s always fleeting and gone so fast that she can never be sure however

Ichiruki, meanwhile, are the talk of the town. What with their stunning entrance at the opening ceremony and rukia’s public confession, all they have to do now is ride this wave of popularity all the way through the games for an easy win— unfortunately, they are both terribly bad at knowing how to manipulate this situation to their advantage. They both understand the gist of urahara’s plan — act like they’re falling in love— but neither of them understand WHY or HOW this will work. Why would the audience be invested in their falling in love? What exactly do they want to see? HOW do they act like they’re falling in love? (and, in Rukia’s case— how much of it should be pretend, how much of it is real?)

Enter Rangiku, the previous district 12 stylist. She and gin grew up in one of the districts, both hating the games and the capitol, until one day at 14 yrs old, gin said to her ‘i’m gonna make it so that you don’t have to be afraid of your name being called at the reapings no more’, volunteered as tribute, won the games, and promptly disappeared from her life.

Years later, rangiku sees gin on tv as the new host of the hunger games. She’s stunned and infuriated— she thought they both hates the capitol for what they did to the districts and now he’s WORKING for them? What the hell is he thinking? So rangiku packs up and moves to the capitol— her plan is to try to see him, to talk things out, surely there must be some kind of misunderstanding— but gin is all rich and famous now, and very heavily guarded, and she’s a nobody. There’s no way anyone will let her within ten feet of gin at all— so, rangiku decides she’s going to have to join the circus to talk to its head clown, and becomes a stylist.

Unfortunately, even as a stylist, she can’t get a word to him edgewise— and she’s starting to suspect that maybe it’s not that she can’t get to him, but that gin is actively avoiding her. She COULD climb the ranks until he can no longer avoid her— she is very good at this stylist gig, much to her surprise— but she doesn’t have the heart to do the backstabbing and bribing necessary for that. She is constantly warring between ‘I cannot pour my talent into something this morally bankrupt’ and ‘but maybe if I do my best, I’ll give my district’s kids a fighting chance’.

Eventually, by the time ichiruki step up, rangiku is so sick of having to dress kids up nicely for slaughter that she hands in her resignation, gives up on gin, and is getting ready to move back home to her district. That is, until she sees what an absolute record-breaker ichiruki are becoming, and start to hope again— that maybe, this year things will be different. That maybe, they will be different. That maybe, at least one of ‘her kids’ won’t go home in a coffin this year, will instead require outfits for a victory tour instead— a victory tour that is accompanied by their stylists… and the host.

So, rangiku comes back in an unofficial capacity to help ichiruki refine their act a bit more. But with less than one month left till the games commence, will what they come up with be enough to carry them through the entire games? And, even if it does— what will happen if at the end of it all, the two people who remain are ichigo and rukia— when only one person gets to return home alive?

Very unrelated point, but: ichigo apologised to rukia for grabbing her wrist post-tribute interview. Just wanted to clarify it is NOT alright to grab at people under any circumstances— ichigo did it in the heat of the moment, but when everything was cleared up he apologised for it. Had to mention this somewhere because it bothered me so much while drawing this installment— Ichigo you have NO room to be scolding the reporter for grabbing rukia, you did it not too long ago yourself! Having said that, that’s probably why he’s being very touchy about this— it was something that had been a sore point for him too very recently.

To be continued!

#bleach #ichiruki #bleach fanart #artist life #bleach art life #kurosaki ichigo #kuchiki rukia #hunger games au

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of-muppets-and-men · 4 years

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Penumbra

Sweet Jesus... I am still alive and finally back with another chapter. Apologies once again for failing to post it here and for taking so long.

Link here if you’d prefer AO3.

June 17th.

It had been a day like any other for Ichigo.

He was just a boy then, living his best life alongside his father, newborn sisters and his beloved mother. There was no worry, no cause for distress; just bliss. How could anything be wrong with his mother by his side? Unfortunately for the Kurosaki family, fate was not so kind as to leave them be.

One moment and life was never the same.

Even now, as a grown man, as a father, Masaki’s absence still ate away at his soul. So once again, Ichigo in front of his mother’s headstone, lamenting alone in the rain. He paid no mind to the rain beat against his umbrella or the moist fabric of his pants against his legs. Ever since he and Orihime wed, he’d make the walk to the graveyard on his own. It felt troublesome to ask his son to pay respects to a grandmother he’d never known and Orihime somehow made coming here a worse affair than it already was… So he asked her to stop.

Not that it mattered to him; he liked it better this way. A more personal touch rather than the exuberant parade his father kept on with. It was just him and her. And so he lit the incense, joining his hands in prayer.

“Hey Mom… Been another mundane year but I hope you’re doing okay. Kazui’s getting big, I wish you could’ve met him…”

The young man shut his eyes, sighing deep and heavy in the gentle yet steady wisps of rain. Eyes still closed, Ichigo’s right and slipped down the face of the grave. He traced his fingers across the damp pillar of stone, feeling every dip in the engraving when something drew his attention away. A slight chill went down his spine as he sensed the faint spiritual pressure.

Ichigo knew the signature well: A Hollow.

His days as a substitute Shinigami may have been over but that didn’t stop Hollows from roaming around Karakura. Or keep his natural-born abilities from sensing them mucking around. Ichigo felt every muscle in his body tense up, screaming at him to don Zangetsu once more. With a clenched fist, He decided it was time to return home. After all, it was no longer his place to interfere; a path long behind him now.

“Sorry, Mom. I’ll swing back around when I have the chance.” Ichigo said mournfully. He started the fair walk back to the clinic, body still in turmoil.

C’mon, it’ll only take a minute.

Coward, you’ve faced down GODS. What’s one little hollow?

His mind beckoned him to act. To make good on the vow he’d made to her all those years ago. But he resisted, persistent as his subconscious was. Although their pleas did beg the question. Who was assigned to defend Karakura from Hollows now? It certainly wasn’t he knew, otherwise they’d never leave him alone. Ichigo pretended not to care before his mind travelled elsewhere. Or more specifically, to one person in particular.

Rukia.

How was she? Was she a captain by now? Did she marry that idiot, Renji? So many questions he wanted an answer to.

It had been so long since they’d last spoken. 9 years? No, probably closer to 10 now… Not since that night after the war ended. A night that was easily one of the best of his entire life. But… it was as equally bittersweet. So many things he’d wished he’d said to her then. How different things would be if he hadn’t been paralyzed by indecision. If he’d damned all the laws of the Soul Society to let her hear those three little words.

Ichigo let his arm drop to his side, letting the rain soak the rest of him, “I am a coward…”

And so he walked home, leaving his umbrella behind. The cold drops of water streamed down his sullen face and seeped everywhere else. Ichigo had long thought the rain had disappeared, but like all the relief in his life, it was only for a few fleeting moments.

Elsewhere

Suì-Fēng kept her stance firm, eyes and ears sharp; waiting for even the slightest notion of her enemy. Sand and dirt crunched beneath her sandals as she felt a bead of sweat across her brow. The commander of the punishment force focused on every shifting shadow like a mantis hunting for prey.

“Where are you?” She whispered with an almost jovial hum.

As she uttered the last syllable, she heard the faintest shift in the stones. From above? Good strategy, the lieutenant’s mind mused.

*woosh*

The Shinigami barely had time to think as her foe lunged forward with blinding speed, thrusting their blade with determined vigor. Side-stepping the tip, Suì-Fēng flipped the assailant onto the floor then scrambled for a chokehold. Arms taut around her foe’s neck, Suì-Fēng couldn’t help but gloat.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that if you wanna beat me, Katsumi.”

A confident chuckle passed Suì-Fēng’s lips as her Captain’s adopted daughter scowled in defeat. But as Suì-Fēng loosened her grip, Katsumi’s silhouette faded into nothing, only leaving behind a single golden ribbon.

“What?!”

“HADO 63: RAIKŌHŌ!!!”

Gray eyes shifted to the adjacent hill, just inside her blind spot. A roaring bolt of lightning surged toward the captain, caught entirely off guard. It was only Yoruichi’s reflexes that managed to get her out of the spell’s way; Suì-Fēng had the singed uniform and hair to match her luck. A Flash step later and the captain and lieutenant were clear of the blast. Its fearsome might shook the ground beneath her, sending dirt and sand asunder into the air.

“Good grief, that much damage with no incantation?” Suì-Fēng scowled, her pride undoubtedly tarnished and by a child no less.

A scoff laced with envy. In the lieutenant’s youth, such mastery and skill were demanded of her; to bring honour not only to her house but to the name Shihouin as well. And to ultimately be out done, prodigy or no, was an unforgivable grievance; at least in her mind. Suì-Fēng moped on the floor of the training hall while she watched her beloved Yoruichi call for Katsumi.

“Katsumi! That’s enough for today!” she called out, her voice faintly echoing, “Bring it in!”

In a moment’s notice, the jovial little girl appeared before her elder shinigami. Arms taut behind her back, Katsumi bobbed up and down out of sheer excitement, eagerly awaiting her mother’s praise.

“How did I do?”

“You performed magnificently, sweetheart. A solid plan with beautiful execution. Not to mention your use of Utsusemi and a high level kido spell such as Raikoho. Even some Captains have trouble utilizing those techniques.”

“Well, I did learn from the best.” Katsumi proudly announced.

Yoruichi ruffled a loving hand through her hair, “I think it’s more than that but thank you darling. Suì-Fēng? Anything you wish to add?”

Her Lieutenant sat silently for a moment, bowing her head a touch.

“Nothing, My Lady. Katsumi performed… exemplary.” The lieutenant gritted, swallowing a bit of her pride, “But don’t let this get to your head, kid…”

“That a challenge?” The girl smirked.

Suì-Fēng’s mood switched instantly back into the same annoyed grouch she always. Her eyebrows became so furrowed, Katsumi thought they might pop off her face. The younger soul kept her grin, trying desperately not to giggle; teasing Suì-Fēng being a trait Yoruichi more or less approved of.

“THAT DOES IT! My lady, would you mind if we went another round?” the petite woman hissed.

“Suì-Fēng… We have an Officer’s meeting to attend.” Yoruichi breathed, clearly exhausted by her lieutenant’s temper.

Before Suì-Fēng could retort, Katsumi beat her to the punch, “C’mon, Mom. One quick spar?”

A deep, audible sigh left the Captain’s mouth, “Ughh… Fine. Just one. Take your positions.”

The lieutenant and apprentice stood and faced one another; Suì-Fēng more than ready to showcase the full power of an officer. Yoruichi would act as their referee, hand raised in waiting.

“Begin.” as she chopped her hand.

The two clashed into a heated fistfight, each feinting and striking with lethal efficiency. Suì-Fēng poured her all into every blow in an attempt to finish this battle quickly. But try as she might, Katsumi kept up, parrying every jab and checking every kick she threw. Growing more frustrated by the second, Suì-Fēng’s blows grew more wild. How can this child possibly keep up with me? Her mind vehemently screamed. Meanwhile, Yoruichi witnessed her lieutenant’s anguish in full. If only she could tell Suì-Fēng who this girl was...

Katsumi on the other hand kept her composure, waiting, watching for an opportunity. And it would most surely come. In her fury, Suì-Fēng’s guard had become sloppy, letting Katsumi slip a spinning kick up and through it. Pegging her chin. It was enough to stun the lieutenant, allowing the young girl to sweep her off her feet.

“Enough! The winner is Katsumi.” Yoruichi announced.

In a show of sportsmanship, Katsumi offered a hand to her downed opponent, only for Suì-Fēng to knock it aside. Breaths heavy, the lieutenant shakily rose to her feet. She assumed her fighting stance again, urging Katsumi to continue.

“Again…” was all she could say. How had she progressed so much in a year?

Before Katsumi could speak or act, Yoruichi stepped in front of her, shielding her daughter from view. And her lieutenant’s stubbornness quickly turned to acquiesce. Suì-Fēng’s captain stared down upon her, eyes cold and daunting as if a member of Central 46 itself.

“Suì-Fēng. Enough. You have nothing to prove to me so let’s end this before you embarrass yourself further.” Her beloved captain reprimanded, arms crossed.

Avoiding her gaze and keeping her head low, Suì-Fēng relented, “Yes, My Lady…”

Knowing full well she couldn’t fully explain the depths of Katsumi’s heritage nor exploit Rukia’s secrets, Yoruichi sought to dismiss herself and Katsumi. Though it did sting, having to watch a dear friend go through such a pressing mental ordeal. So in an act of sympathy, the captain walked over to her defeated subordinate, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I need to take my daughter home and prepare for this afternoon’s meeting. Can I trust you to do the same?”

“Yes, Lady Yoruichi.” Suì-Fēng spoke, dutiful and precise.

Keeping her voice hushed so Katsumi wouldn’t hear, Yoruichi whispered into her lieutenant’s ear, “Don’t feel ashamed, My daughter is… Unique. One day I hope you’ll know what I mean.”

Now, more puzzled than depressed, Suì-Fēng looked up at her Captain. Her grey eyes begged for some level of clarity, but found none as amber looked back. It was a look she’d grown to know and hate. Equal parts wise and misleading. Suì-Fēng picked herself in a huff, while Yoruichi ushered for Katsumi to follow. The poor girl had patiently waited for her elders to conclude their business and was more than ready to return home. Katsumi practically pranced behind her mother, a gleeful hum on her lips.

Though her cheery demeanor didn’t last. Suì-Fēng wouldn’t meet her gaze as she passed by, out of shame or remaining slivers of pride, Katsumi could not tell. It was confusing; she wanted to feel proud of her victory but the way Suì-Fēng looked soured any attempt. The girl stopped briefly, fingers fiddling nervously as she said the only thing she could think to say.

“Sorry.”

Suì-Fēng looked back up as Katsumi ran after her mother then vanishing out of the cave altogether. Now alone with her thoughts, the lieutenant bitterly scoffed.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, kid…” fully aware no one could hear her.

***

It took practically no time at all for Yoruichi and Katsumi to reach the Shihouin Manor. The past year of these training lessons had been a strange blessing in disguise for the Commander of the Punishment Force. Helping Katsumi grow was inadvertently helping her keep up to par too. Yoruichi felt strong, perhaps even stronger than she had been against the Wandenreich. No sense of falling out of grace as she had over a century beforehand.

But aside from her own personal growth, she couldn’t help thinking about Katsumi’s. The jovial little girl holding onto her shoulders, that she watched grow since her birth, might very well become one of the strongest Shinigami in the history of the Soul Society. As Katsumi resumed humming, Yoruichi deliberated on how she stacked up to the foremost powerhouses of the Seireitei.

Zaraki and her father were monsters in their own right, but immense as their power was, it lacked any sort of refinement. Refinement Yoruichi had diligently instilled in her student. Katsumi’s reiatsu reserves likely match that of Captain Unohana herself. And while her Tōgetsu may not be a match to Ryujin Jakka or Kyoka Suigetsu, Katsumi’s creativity may yet change that still. But the scariest part was how fast she was progressing. A 10 year old girl had already outclassed the entire Shino academy, mastering Shunpo techniques, Hakuda and Zanjutsu that even took time for Yoruichi to learn. And it was only a matter of time until she learned Shunko… and Bankai.

But that train of thought would have to wait until, at least until after the meeting.

Landing in the courtyard, Yoruichi kneeled down to let Katsumi off before going inside. Apparently, her daughter had energy to spare, bolting off into the foyer with no trouble at all. Where she would bump into another member of her house.

“UNCLE YUSHIRO!” Yoruichi heard Katsumi scream, followed by a loud crash.

The Lady of the Manor rushed inside to investigate the ruckus, only to find Katsumi prancing around a half conscious Yushiro.

“Sister! You’Re BacK!” her little brother managed to say, “HoW diD tHe traINInG gO?”

“Wonderfully, Little brother.” Yoruichi chuckled, “Our little Katsumi will be a Shinigami in no time.”

“tHAT’s gREAT!!”

“Say, Yushiro? Do you mind keeping her company while I attend this Captain’s meeting? I’d rather not have Shinji make comments about me being tardy.”

Unable to speak anymore thanks to the knee to the head courtesy of his niece, but was able to give a thumbs up. Much to his dismay and Katsumi’s delight. So while their retainers iced Yushiro’s head and cleaned up yet another broken vase, Yoruichi went to her room to switch into her more formal Captain’s attire. The baggy sleeves of her Shihakusho and Haori always bothered her, hence why she wore them so little. And already dreading the likely boring proceedings ahead of her, she made her way to the front door.

Yoruichi stood by the foyer, hands tucked in her sleeves as she called out, “Katsumi! I’m leaving now!”

“Coming!”

The voice started off faint but then materialized along Katsumi, who Flash Stepped into view. Without a second to spare, Katsumi leaped into her mother’s open arms, embracing her as tightly as her arms would allow.

“I’ll be home soon, Okay? Don’t burn the house.” Yoruichi joked lovingly.

“No promises.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

One tender kiss to the cheek later and Yoruichi was off, while Katsumi disappeared back into the Manor.

*** Yoruichi soared above the Seireitei, feeling the wind and crisp air flow through uniform. The Shinigami very nearly forgot how beautiful the afternoons were here, particularly from such a vantage point. But alas, she drew her gaze towards the first division barracks; her destination.

The flash goddess nimbly landed upon one of the railings, much to the shock of one Renji Abarai; the shock of her arrival almost made him spill his tea. With a second to catch his breath, he watched as Yoruichi coyly leaned against the very same railing.

“Hey, Renji. Rukia around?”

“Do you always have to appear out of nowhere? And yes, she’s already inside.” Renji griped.

“Lovely. C’mon, before she starts complaining.”

The lieutenant of squad 6 lazily followed his old friend inside, but not before rolling his eyes at her disregard for protocol. Even though she’d been reinstated as Captain of Squad 2 and had been for a decade now, Yoruichi still felt alien walking through the old halls of the first division. As did Renji; it was rare for lieutenants to accompany their captains to such meetings, let alone now, given meetings barely happened at all. The pair walked in silence, until Renji piped up with a pressing question of his.

“Do you know what this meeting is for?” Renji suddenly asked.

“Well, One thing is the exoneration of Kisuke and his reinstatement if that succeeds but I’m not aware of anything else.” Yoruichi explained.

“Is that right? Think they’ll give him back his position as Captain?”

“I don’t know… It’s possible but I don’t see Kurotsuchi taking that lying down.”

A shiver ran down both their spines; Mayuri was more than capable of making cockroaches uncomfortable. He was a genius, no doubt about it, but… the lines he’s willing to cross for his own ends. The otherwise emotionally inept Renji saw Yoruichi’s shoulders tense with the mention of Kisuke. A sharp exhale through his nose prompted the Lady to prod for an answer.

“What are you snorting about?”

“It’s nothing. Just never seen you flustered about anything before. But to think it would about Kisuke of all people.” Renji leered, very much enjoying being on the opposite end of teasing.

Although a quick jab to his ribs changed his tune just as quickly.

“His banishment was unjust. I’m thankful that others are beginning to see that now…” Yoruichi explained, failing to conceal a smile on the edge of her lips.

The pair made their way through the winding corridors to the Main Hall, avoiding the gawking of unranked Squad members. Renji, still rubbing his side, was glad to see Yoruichi in such high spirits, given the cruel and often unforgiving nature of the Soul Society.

They reached the entryway to hear the resonant chatter of the other Officers. Most were accounted for; Squads One through Eleven were present, though Rukia was noticeably missing from the roster. Odd, Yoruichi thought to herself but whatever. Yoruichi took her place amongst the rows, beside Byakuya and Toshiro. It was then Head-Captain Kyoraku appeared before the rest of his cohorts, lax as he always was.

“Thank you all for gathering here in such a timely fashion,” Shunsui began, “I’m sure most of the Captains here are aware of the reason for this meeting: the exoneration of one Kisuke Urahara. But before that matter, It’s my honor to introduce the new Captain of Squad 13: Rukia Kuchiki.”

The room filled with officers erupted in shock and surprise as Rukia entered the room, though not yet in an official Haori. Yoruichi and Renji stared at one another in disbelief; somehow she neglected to tell them either of them her ploy.

“Now today is not her official promotion, but as witnessed by myself, Captain Kuchiki and Captain Kotetsu, Rukia has completed the Captain’s Proficiency Test. So a big round of applause to our dear Rukia.”

Isane did not meet Yoruichi’s piercing stare, nor did Rukia. Rukia only mouthed a single word to her confidant and husband.

Surprise.

#bleach #bleach oc #ichiruki #pro ichiruki #Ichigo X Rukia #rukia x ichigo #Rukia Kuchiki #ichigo kurosaki #katsumi kurosaki #yoruichi shihouin #Penumbra #sui feng

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darisu-chan · 5 years

Note

Okay, but what about a Fruits Basket AU where Rukia lives with Urahara (as Shigure), Ichigo (as Kyo) and Uryuu (as Yuki)? Like, I just wanna fangirl with that idea

…

DUDE

Ihalf-heartedly thought about a Fruits Basket AU, and then you come here withthis idea.

Holyfucking shit.

Okay

Here wego

1. So, when Rukia lost her sister, Hisana,she stayed with her brother-in-law, Byakuya. However, he had to do somerenovations. Awkwardly, and so that Byakuya wouldn’t waste money on her, Rukiatold him she’d be okay living with a friend. Being, well, typical Byakuya, heaccepted without another question. Rukia totally lied. She didn’t have any friends and nowhere to go, soshe had the fantastic plan of living in a tent. You know how that goes.

2. Oneday, as she’s strolling in the forest where she lives, she finds a houseapparently in the middle of nowhere. She notices that there are ornaments ofthe 12 Chinese zodiac animals outside, so she stops to admire them. There, she meetsa blond man who owns the house. They talk about the ornaments, and theirconversation continues until Rukia asks why there isn’t a cat figure. The manasks him why she cares about the cat, and Rukia tells him that when she wasyoung, her sister used to tell her the story of the zodiacs, and that shewished she was of the year of the cat. The man looks at her intensely.

3. Suddenly, Uryuu, the most popular kid in school,arrives. It turns out that the man called Urahara and Uryuu are cousins. Beforeshe has time to think about it, Rukia ends up walking to school with Uryuu,which proves to be a big ass problem, since most of the girl population isin love with him (It’s what he deserves). They all start bullying Rukia abouther coming to school with Prince Uryuu. In this AU Rukia has no friends, soArisa and Saki don’t come to rescue her (though I kinda headcanon Rangiku andNemu taking these roles). Instead, Rukia tells the girls that nothing happened betweenUryuu and her, that they’re just classmates. They, very passive-aggressively,threaten her, but Rukia braves the storm. She believes she won’t come intocontact with Uryuu again. That’s a lie.

4. Rukia finds Uyruu in the locker room after schoolis over, and he walks with her. They talk about the zodiacs, and Rukia mentionsthe cat. Uryuu gets visibly upset and calls cats idiots. Rukia is surprised butcan’t say anything more when she has to get to her part-time work. Beforeleaving, Uryuu tells her she looks pale and that she should rest.

5. Rukia believes Uryuu is weird, but, ultimately,feels like she kinda understands him. Even though he’s popular, he’s lonelylike she is. Anyway, when walking home, she finds Urahara and Uryuu in theforest. She tells them she lives there, which they find weird since the wholeland is owned by their clan. Rukia explains her story, about how she had tolive in a tent due to Byakuya’s house being renovated. Urahara totally messes withher, which causes both Uryuu and Rukia to yell at him lol. Eventually, Uraharahears something and says a cliff has collapsed. They go to investigate, and yeah,the freaking cliff collapsed on top of Rukia’s tent. She has a melt downbecause the only picture she has of her sister is inside. Before starting todig up, she faints due to having a fever. Urahara takes her back to his house,and Uryuu stays behind, digging up her stuff. Back at his house, Urahara asksRukia why the photo is important to her. She says that the day Hisana died, shedidn’t say goodbye. That Hisana had been hiding her illness for some time, andthat Rukia never noticed. Rukia blames herself for going to school withoutgoing to see Hisana. They had fought over something silly during dinner, and soshe left the following day without even seeing Hisana. Rukia regrets fightingwith Hisana, because nothing should have mattered as much as her sister, whohad raised her after their parents had passed away.

6. Uryuu hears Rukia’s story. He feels like an idiot.He had never noticed his classmate had lived such a painful life. Uryuu decidedto live with Urahara instead of the main house, to escape his father’sexpectations, as well as the Clan. But believes that if he had truly wanted toleave, he would’ve lived in a tent much like Rukia. This conversation givesUrahara the idea that only Rukia can change the lives of the whole clan.

7. Next day, Urahara and Uryuu urge Rukia to live withthem. In exchange for living there without paying rent, Rukia will have to cookand clean for them, because the fuckers suck at doing this. Seriously, thehouse is a mess. “How can you be two grown men and don’t know how to cook basicmeals and clean?!” “Well, you see Kuchiki-san, a man such as myself doesn’thave the time to─” “You’re hopeless”

8. Sadly, before Rukia can move into her own room, aguy with obnoxious orange hair comes crashing down the freaking celling just tofight Uryuu. “You damn rat, come fight me!” “You’re gonna lose, stupid cat!”“NANDATO?!” Fed up with the juvenile and one-sided fight, Rukia tries to stopthem by pulling the orange haired guy, which is a big mistake, because the dudeturns into a cat right there and then. Urahara arrives at that exact moment andtries to stop himself from laughing, while Uryuu sighs. Rukia flips out andturns to ask Urahara and Uryuu what the hell is happening, when she trips andfalls on top of them. They turn into a dog and a rat respectively, and Rukiabelieves she finally lost it. They start speaking, and Rukia freaks even more.Urahara, as a dog, explains her that their clan is cursed by the zodiacs. Whenhugged by a member of the opposite gender, they transform into animals.Thankfully the transformation doesn’t last long, however, the downside is thatwhen they become humans again, they’re completely naked. *Cue transformationand Rukia screaming because she almost saw them bare*

9. The orange haired guy is named Ichigo, and he’sUryuu’s and Urahara’s cousin. Apparently he disappeared for four months totrain in the mountains, and fight bears. Rukia doesn’t know what tothink about him at first. He’s rude and loud and he hates Uryuu for whateverreason. She starts guessing it’s probably because in the story, the rat tricksthe cat, and that’s why the cat doesn’t belong in the zodiac. As for Ichigo, herightfully believes letting a girl live with them will carry even moreproblems, especially since she knows their secret.

10. Urahara talks with the clan’s head, Aizen, and helets Rukia continue living with them, which means her memory won’t be erased.He also makes Ichigo join the same school Rukia and Uryuu go to, which pisseshim off. It turns out Ichigo is a very shy person, yet he makes friends easily.This upsets Uryuu, who, even if popular, has no true friends. Rukia, then,discovers that their rivalry goes both ways, and that both are jealous of eachother. They’re idiots, as Rukia will later tell them, because the two are greatin their own way.

11. So Rukia continues living with the three, gettingto know them. Uryuu learned martial arts later than Ichigo, but he is stillbest at them. He prefers sewing, though. He’s very good at fashioning clothes,blankets and even stuffed animals. He makes a blue dress for Rukia to thank herfor everything she does for them. Meanwhile, Ichigo loves martial arts becausethey give him the strength to protect the people important to him. He teachesRukia some moves so she can protect herself, as she walks to the house byherself after her shift at part-time job is over. Uryuu and Ichigo actuallytake turns accompanying Rukia home. She hates the attention but when she’s withthem it’s the only time the two get along.

12. Over time, Rukia gets closer to them. She tries tosooth their worries by giving the same type of advice her sister used to giveher. She makes it clear both are worthy just as they are. If they want toimprove, it should be to become better people and not to please others. She isnothing but kind to them, and they are kind to her in return. Soon, they’reclose enough that it feels as if they had been friends their whole lives.

13. When the renovations are over, Byakuya calls Rukiato come back home. She doesn’t want to go with him, but she knows that she can’tstay with Urahara, Uryuu and Ichigo forever. So she goes but she’s miserable,because living with Byakuya involves living with his relatives, who all hateher as she doesn’t come from a rich and prestigious family. They somehow findout she was living with the guys all along, and call her a slut and ask her ifshe had been sleeping with them. Before she can’t react, Byakuya slaps theperson who insulted her, and tells them he won’t let them insult Rukia in hishouse. Then Rukia breaks down and says that’s the first time since Hisana’sdeath that Byakuya has looked her in the eye. Byakuya tries to comfort her andasks her if she feels comfortable living with him. She admits she wants to goback to living with Urahara, Uryuu and Ichigo.

14. Meanwhile, Uryuu and Ichigo feel like a part ofthem died when Rukia left. Urahara gives them her address, and they both rushout to find the house. Uryuu gets lost and it’s up to Ichigo to find the house.Though they fight the whole time, they feel that they are in the same boat asboth miss her. They eventually find Byakuya’s house just in time to listen howByakuya’s relatives insult her. The two get enraged because how dare they hatesomeone as amazing and kind as Rukia! But before they can act, they witness howByakuya defends her and asks her if she’s happy living with him. When they hearRukia confess she wants to go back, both go inside the house and tell Rukia she’salways welcomed to come back. Rukia nods with a watery smile.

15. As Uryuu collects her stuff, Ichigo takes Rukiaout of the house and scolds her for just living. If she had asked from thestart, they would have told her she could stay as long as she wanted. Rukiasays she didn’t mean to impose. Ichigo calls her an idiot and tells her she’llnever impose on them or be seen as a nuance. That he doesn’t see her as that.Then Uryuu returns and tells her he feels the same. She’s part of the familyalready, more than their own relatives have ever been. Rukia agrees to continueliving with them for as long as they will have her, and together they returnhome.

Obviously, there’s much more that can go on, but I don’twant to spoil others who might want to watch Fruits Basket.

This was so much fun! And I’m sorry I took so long. Atfirst I was going to write a few sentences but I decided this ask deserved muchmore! I love Fruits Basket and Bleach very much. Maybe later on I’ll actuallywrite the AU. But who knows.

Thanks again for the ask!

#ichiruki

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mybleachedsoul · 6 years

Text

ichiruki month. day 20. eye contact (also kind of an au)

contains mature language only

Eye contact - 20/08

The first time he ever laid eyes on her she was just sitting down, concentrated on a piece of literature that, based on the pink tip of her tongue sticking out in between her upper and lower canine teeth, seemed to be very captivating. She was like a blue rose plucked out of a meadow of dandelions, melancholic and fascinating. Her hair was short and darker than a midnight sky. It’s funny, he always thought he was a long-hair kinda guy.

But what struck him the most were her eyes when she looked up at him. Sharp and violet in a jungle of tedious brown irises. It was as if he was pulled into some kind of other dimension, yet there was no reason to fight it. In fact it was already a place that he felt could be called home.

And he fucking kid you not, she just stayed there and stared back at him.

As if she’d just said, “Welcome home, what the hell took you so long?”

As expected from their first meeting, being with her was comfortable, far too comfortable. He didn’t need to censor everything he said before speaking out loud, and neither did she. There was no place or need for bullshit in their friendship.

It was refreshing, and different than anything he’d ever had before.

Like that day in his apartment. The one where he ate cold ramen while keeping an eye on the TV, as Rukia tried on countless different outfits for upcoming interviews. She came up to him for his opinion, wearing a straight black dress and high heels.

“What about this one?”

Ichigo’s eyes moved away from the screen for five seconds, scanning her up and down. He shrugged and swallowed his mouthful of curly noodles.

“Dunno, Rukia. You still look like a fifteen year-old trying to play the uptight business woman.”

Rukia rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue in frustration. “Fantastic. How come other women look natural in these? I look ridiculous even with a smidge of makeup on,” she complained out loud before kicking off her heels and walking into his bedroom to change. Ichigo watched a man catch a ten feet long eel on TV, then Rukia came out again, wearing an oversized turtleneck with her hair tied up in a I’ve-given-up-on-making-money kind of bun.

“Maybe ‘cause they need that shit to look good. And you don’t.”

He knew she hadn’t expected that to sound like such a sappy compliment when she turned her head to meet his eyes. Hell, he probably hadn’t expected so himself. But he’d said it and well shit, it was still the truth, he wasn’t about to fucking take it back. So he looked back at her in silence, violet piercing through him with curiosity, and maybe also silently asking for a bite or two of that ramen. He handed her the bowl and she started eating, both of them turning their attentions to that oddly interesting fishing documentary.

“That cloud on the far left kinda looks like a dick on acid,” she said in a monotone voice.

Ichigo squinted his eyes at the sky, trying to figure out exactly how any of those fluffy white puffs could look like a male’s genitalia. He scoffed after a good ten second of silent investigation.

“I don’t see a single trace of dick in that sky. I usually like my skies dick-less, thank you very much.”

Rukia nudged him in the rib. “Did you actually just say the word dick-less?” A bee flew around his ear for a moment before moving over to another patch of green grass. “You’re such a weirdo,” she finished with a sigh.

“I’m a weirdo?” Ichigo spat back. “You’re the one imagining penises flying above your freaking head.”

“I’m not imagining anything!” Rukia exclaimed, lifting an arm to point somewhere high up. “See? Right there. There’s the two balls, then the sh-“

“Rukia, I beg you to not finish that sentence.” He interrupted her and by some miracle it worked because Rukia’s arm fell down and she stopped talking. She stood silent for a moment before he heard her laugh, almost like a giggle. She then turned around on her stomach and looked at him with a smile, her eyes looking ten times more piercing than they usually did with that ray of sunlight coming in from above and illuminating her face. It was like admiring the moon itself in all its glory.

That’s when Ichigo realized she was probably the most beautiful woman alive.

Yep, right after they’d spent five fucking minutes discussing dicks.

Maybe he was a weirdo after all.

Ichigo realized he was in love with Kuchiki Rukia on a Sunday.

It was on that super hot morning, where the sun was hitting so hard it was enough to boil skin. He knocked on her apartment door ten times in a row before she finally answered, wearing that dress shirt she had apparently decided to steal from him ever since he forgot it at her place. It looked so incredibly large on her, sleeves dangling past her hands and hem falling near her knees, but after bugging her a million times about giving it back to him, he couldn’t bring himself to take it back. Especially not after actually seeing her in it.

Rukia’s hair was a bird nest, and she yawned as soon as she opened the door. “Ichigo, the hell are you doing here. It’s 8 a.m. on a Sunday,” she frowned mid-way through her yawn.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and scoffed as he walked past her and into her living room. “We had plans to go to the beach with the guys today, remember?” he said, thinking about Ishida, Abarai, Inoue and Tatsuki, probably all already on their way to the beach house they had rented for a night.

Rukia groaned lazily as her body went limp and fell on top of the couch. “Fuuuuuck, I completely forgot about that,” she whined loudly. “I had to stay up last night to finish that report for work, you know.”

Ichigo took his phone out of his pants pocket and wiggled it in her face. “Yeah, I do know. You texted me at 3 a.m., and I quote: if I don’t wake up ever again, please water my plants twice a week for me.”

Rukia blinked, silent as she scratched her head. “That’s weird, I don’t remember texting you.”

“Well hurry and get dressed,” he added quickly before she could close her eyes again. “The others probably already left in Renji’s car.”

Rukia, already flopped down on a corner of her couch, groaned and mumbled something incoherent. Ichigo frowned, sighing. “What the hell was that?”

“I said,” Rukia said louder, lifting up her head once more. “Do we really have to go?”

Ichigo opened his mouth, then closed it. “Wait, you don’t wanna go?”

Rukia shrugged, hands playing with a wild strand of hair. “I just…I dunno, kinda feel like staying in. Plus, this is the type of thing you do if you’re a social butterfly on the inside, and I’m just not sure we are.”

Ichigo remained speechless for a good moment, before finally letting a scoff escape his throat. He dropped his improvised suitcase on the floor with a thud.

“Thank god, I wanted to go almost as much as I wanted to pour boiling water down my back,” he said with a laidback smile, making Rukia look up at him in surprise. “Tell you what,” he said as he started making his way to the kitchen, Rukia still curiously eyeing him. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee and we’ll just stay in and watch horror movies all day. You can even take naps if you want.”

He heard a couple little steps follow him into the kitchen. He smirked. He knew how appealing the word ‘coffee’ was to her, especially before 11 a.m. “Oh my god, I love you,” Rukia exclaimed in all her lazy gratitude. “I could almost kiss you right now.”

Ichigo chuckled at her words as he mindlessly dug into the kitchen cabinet for roasted coffee grains. “Love you too.”

He froze in his track, spoon in one hand, coffee grains in the other. There was a chance Rukia hadn’t heard that at all. But based on the way she had also stopped all movements, he couldn’t count on it.

“Uh…?” Rukia breathed out in a low voice.

Yep, couldn’t count on it indeed.

And so, Ichigo had no choice but to turn around and make eye contact. As if looking into those violet eyes of hers would help his case.

“I- uh… I- meant that in a non-serious way, you know, a joke, a ha-ha kinda thing,” he scratched the back of his head. “Was following your lead, you know, ah…yeah.”

Rukia blinked once, then nodded. “Right.”

Well done Ichigo.

Well done.

He kissed her a week later.

Honestly now rethinking about it, he doesn’t even blame himself, he blames the whole setting. Seriously, standing on a rooftop at sunset drinking sake straight out of the bottle? Who does that?

And he blames her eyes. Her goddamn eyes.

“Ichigo,” she murmured, eyes set on the orange sky.

“Hmm?” he mumbled, taking a sip of his drink.

“Why do you think people think we’re a couple?” she asked, in the most casual way.

Ichigo froze and scowled, bottle tipping midway on his lips. “People? Who’s people?”

“Our friends, your family, my brother,” she answered with a light frown and scoffed. “Pretty much everyone I guess.”

Ichigo stayed silent for a while. Eventually he sighed and took another sip. “I dunno, probably cause we’re always together.” He looked over at Rukia, who was now looking down at her bottle of sake. “But who gives a flying fuck what people think,” he added, for his benefit or for hers, he isn’t sure. “I sure as hell don’t.”

The sky had faded from orange to yellow, to pale lilac. “Ichigo, we’re friends, right?”

Her voice was low, and almost sounded different. He finished his drink in one last sip and placed the empty bottle on the ground next to him. He turned back to see that Rukia was now looking at him, eyes expressing something near despair, as if all she needed was for him to confirm they were indeed, friends.

He looked into her eyes for a few more seconds, then smiled sincerely without breaking eye contact. “Yeah, we are.”

Rukia’s expression softened, and she smiled back, and it was one of those smiles that could bring a dead man back to life. Ichigo bent forward, cupped the side of her face with one hand, and kissed her without another word.

He felt her eyelashes moving fast on his skin, and nearly tickling him. After two or three seconds she stopped, her felt her eyes close and felt her lips kissing him back. He doesn’t know how much time it was before they pulled away, but he remembers her cheeks being pink, almost as much as her lips.

Seeing how she wasn’t opening her eyes, Ichigo rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes once more. They stood there for god knows how long. Just breathing.

“Ichigo?” her voice whispered into the silence.

“Hm?”

A second of silence. “You taste like alcohol. It’s gross.”

He twitched, and smiled. “Yeah? So do you.”

He felt Rukia’s forehead pulling away and opened his eyes to see her mouth break into a large smile as soon as their eyes met. She laughed and next thing he knew, she was grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him down, her lips on his once again.

@ichirukimonth

#ichirukimonth #ichiruki #bleach

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clankuchiki · 6 years

Text

Some thoughts and other stuff about Bleach

These are strictly my opinion as a long term Bleach fan. You are free to disagree obviously, but do so in a respectful fashion. Thank you. I’m mostly typing all this to get it out of my head.

And yeah, I’m particularly defensive about the Kuchikis, but eh, it’s a Kuchiki blog so that’s to be expected.

Bleach should have stopped after the end of the battle against Aizen, and without the whole evolution thing. It was downright ridiculous and boring.

Ageing makes no sense sometimes ?? How does it work in the Soul Society ? Renji & Rukia’s kid looks the same as Ichigo’s and Orihime’s. But Byakuya & Soi Fon who were shown as teen, were young adults 50 years later. So do you age normally when you are young, and it starts to slow down when you reach your teens or close to adulthood ??

Considering above point, it would make sense that Yoruichi could be a childhood friend of Soujun (Byakuya’s dad and also my husband). It would be cutter to think Yoruichi is close to Byakuya for this reason rather than just because they both are from a high nobility family.

Ichigo became a downright pain in the ass somewhere in the middle of the Aizen Battle arc, and stayed that way up until the end. I KNOW he is the main character and he’s supposed to save the day as such, but I hated how he got all the powerzTM, it just felt ridiculous. Along with the evolution thingie too. You get shinigami powers, you get hollow powers, you get fullbring power blablabla. I also hated how it made the captains look like useless morons who can’t even do their jobs.

I’ll never forgive Kubo for what he did to Byakuya and Ukitake, I’m still not over this.

The fullbring arc was so boring, I have a hard time reading it again to remember stuff. I hated all the characters, apart from Riruka who actually made me laugh.

The quincy arc felt forced but I won’t speak much about this because I can’t even remember most of it, apart where it hurts.

The fact that “everyone” gets a bankai felt a bit weird. When we had Byakuya VS Ichigo, Byakuya spoke about it like it was a super big deal, like only a really small handful of people could achieve it. Well seems like they all decided to be in the same time span.

Byakuya and Hisana give me the feels, so pure. ;A;

What if Rukia was in fact, Hisana’s daughter instead of sister ?

Soujun is the cutest bleach dad, no opposition possible on this.

I’m still salty that Kubo introduced new characters in the second databook and have never done anything with them. I mean, Soujun, COME ONE ! (And Yamada too, he looks like an asshole and I want to know more about him)

The final end felt super weird too. I’m not a shipper so I couldn’t care less who ends up with who, but it just weird me out. We only had an handful of actual relationships throughout the manga and I felt fine with it.

Both the kids annoy me, I don’t know if it’s because I usually like to stay as far as possible from kids in life, or they are both portrayed annoyingly.

I want to know how Byakuya and Hisana met, like how ?? Tell me !!

I also wish we knew more about the Nobles roles in the Soul Society, they seem important enough, but we know next to nothing about them. I wish this could have been addressed in a databook or something. I mean, I understand it could have been super boring in the actual storyline.

The arrancars were cool, mostly Grimmjow and Ulqui. They made it worthwhile.

Gin, you were amazing, rip baby.

I couldn’t care less about the quincy, they hurt my baby, they gotta pay.

Ichigo should remember that if not for his hollow, he would have been killed by Byakuya during their fight. good times.

Him getting a bankai when he did made sense at the time, but it was just the same scenario on repeat on each arc after that.

Yeah I’m a salty fuck.

Even so, Bleach holds the record for me for the number of characters that I actually love. In each books/manga/movie/game/whatever, I always have one or more favourite characters, but Bleach is the only one where I love that many of them. I obviously love the Kuchikis, but also Yoruichi, Soi Fon, Matsumoto, Hisagi, Renji, Kira, Ukitake, Shunsui, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow.. That’s what kept me going with Bleach, the characters I loved.

I also LOVE the universe of Bleach, I mean, isn’t the Soul Society super rad ??? I love how it was constructed and balanced. I love how each division has its own motto and how they differ from each others. I would have loved to see more about the daily life in a division. How is it like ? How close can you get to your captain ? Like can you be pals with them if they’re pretty chill ? What do you do each day if you aren’t out there chasing hollows.

What are the powers of the four noble houses and who are the other two ??

What the hell happened with the shiba clan ? My noisy ass wants to know !

Who was Byakuya’s mom ? How did she meet Soujun ? Where they actually in love or was their union planned way before they could decide for themselves ? How did Soujun died ? We know it was in battle, but who did this ? I want names. Is Byakuya an only child ? (Rukia doesn’t really count here since I’m talking blood family)

What about Ginrei ? I feel like he’s close to Byakuya in terms of personality and he was a rowdy kid too. What about his wife ? How many kids did they have ? My weird headcanon is that they had 7 children, 6 daughters and Soujun was born the last and way after his sisters. He was kinda not planned and Ginrei had lost hope to ever had a son. And then, BAM, surprise. And then, due to his wife being a bit too old to bear children now, even though she could still have them, she died in childbirth. (Why do I even have that sob headcanon ???)

About Ginrei again .. We know Soujun wanted to join the 6th division because he was worried for his dad. But Ginrei was worried about his son’s health, which wasn’t great (that’s canon) so why the hell didn’t he stop him from joining the division. He made him a vice captain, why would he do that if he knew he wasn’t capable of fighting because of his health, and despite his talents, being a Kuchiki and all ? Because “he was going to be the next head of the kuchiki” seems a bit weak of an argument if you ask me.

Still about Ginrei, when did he became a captain ? What was his zanpakutou like ? what about his bankai ? who was the captain of the 6th division before him ? was it a member of the kuchiki clan as well ? Ginrei’s grand father maybe ?

How were the noble family founded ? Who decided who gets the higher place ?

How much shit did Byakuya get for marrying Hisana ? Did he think his parents might have opposed this relationship, or Soujun being kind hearted would have been okay with this ?

Summary of how I feel about Ichigo in one panel, courtesy of Rukia :

I think I’ve rambled enough right now. Excuse typos.

#bleach #thoughts

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sponfawn · 7 years

Text

Regarding Bleach and its ending

I recently found out that Bleach ended and so I decided to read the rest of it (I stopped after the Fullbring arc).

A lot of the western fandom really dislikes the last chapter.

SPOILERS

We find out that after a 10 year time jump, Rukia isn’t with Ichigo. She’s with Renji and he’s with Orihime. Personally I liked this ending. Kubo planned from the beginning for Ichigo’s kid and Rukia’s kid to meet at the end. Meaning they wouldn’t be together. I mean it was rushed, lacking in development, and there were many questions left unanswered (some of which are answered in We Do knot Always Love You - a light novel), but considering Ichigo didn’t have any room for romance during the actual series, it still made sense. It makes sense to me that he and Rukia have a really close and wonderful relationship that doesn’t need to be romantic. To be fair I did ship Ichihime, but it was more of a light “it could be nice if they got together, but I don’t think it’ll happen and he doesn’t seem to have feelings for anyone, and I think she needs to grow more herself anyway”. I also found they were interesting as foil characters.

What upsets me is that a lot of the fans hate Orihime or (in much lesser numbers) Rukia cuz of shipping wars or other misguided reasons. A lot of people dislike Orihime cuz she was used as fan service, or she didn’t always know exactly what to do, or she had human flaws as a normal 15 year old. But I love her. So much. She was one of the few main characters who really embodied what it might be like to be a kid in those situations. Chad was nearly inhuman in terms of resilience and strength, similar with Ichigo, and Ishida was never typical even without the ingrained Quincy training and ideology. She was like a tether to the reality of the events that unfolded. I was disappointed in how her development panned out, but I feel that she overcame a lot and grew emotionally even if not as much in terms of OP magic powers.

Hime was what most of us would be like in similar situations at that age - unsure, short on confidence, trying her best, making mistakes, trying to be useful, making some not so great choices in love, and getting upset when traumatic things are happening. But she also had incredible empathy, compassion, resolve, perception, and determination. A lot of people compare her to Rukia, but she was hundreds of years older with a much different life and much different expectations and training. I’ve read a couple rants where someone said they hate Orihime, wanted her to die, cuz she has low self esteem, makes bad choices, and isn’t a good role model for young girls. That somehow she makes it seem like it’s ok to not have confidence or that it’s ok to devote yourself to someone for 5 lifetimes when you’re 15. But I think they miss the point. It’s not good that she has low self esteem, but even with it she accomplishes a lot, grows, becomes happy and learns a lot as she gains confidence. Even without confidence she still moves forward and it begins to grow with her. When she has very low confidence, she is much less happy, and as it grows she is able to become stronger and more content. When she puts Ichigo on a pedestal, she isn’t seeing all of his sides - later she does and it scares her. She accepts him anyway, accepts his flaws. This isn’t a perfect message, since it’s not our job to accept all flaws, like abuse. But we do have to accept some flaws in every person we keep in our lives. A lot of people also hated that she healed Menoly and Loly saying it was unrealistic. But I'm sure there are lots of medical professionals who would do what they could in similar situations. Ichigo also fights for and with people who were enemies and protects them but no one says anything about that.

People also overlook her and Rukia’s friendship often. But I feel it’s an incredibly important part of Bleach, and who these girls are. Yes, Orihime gets jealous of Rukia at one point during the arrancar arc, but she doesn’t let those feelings take over her opinion of Rukia. She feels bad about being jealous, recognizing that it was irrational and affirming that she really likes Rukia as a person. People forget that you can’t control your emotions, just how you react to them. And the fact that these 2 don’t let things like jealousy overtake their mutual support and trust is amazing and beautiful. There is no girl on girl hate here. That is powerful and important. And it truly saddens me that people ignore this aspect of their interactions and that people go so far as to hate either of them.

#ichihime #we do knot always love you #renruki #spoilers #Orihime #bleach #Ichigo #ichiruki #rukia #female relationships

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